Posts Tagged ‘Agitprop Alterna’

PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE – ” Agitprop Alterna “

Posted: January 12, 2021 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Peel Dream Magazine is the musical vehicle for NYC’s Joe Stevens, who launched the band in 2018 with the critically acclaimed album “Modern Meta Physic,” a mysterious, liminal tribute to the hazy end of ‘90s dream-pop that found its place on numerous “Best of 2018” lists. Now Peel Dream are back with “Agitprop Alterna,” an album that pays homage to sonic and spiritual influences ranging from early Stereolab and Broadcast through stateside groups like Lilys and Yo La Tengo.. “Agitprop Alterna” finds Stevens channeling the collaborative spirit of the band’s live incarnation in the studio, deepening the connection between the existential and the interpretive first explored on “Modern Meta Physic.” It is a rejection of manipulation in all its forms and a buzzsaw against complacency; it’s a rare trick to agitate without being obvious, and perhaps that makes “Agitprop Alterna” the most Peel Dream Magazine-like statement yet.

What have you wound up doing with your free time during lockdown? Some online yoga classes? A walk in the park? Maybe finish the the novel that’s been lying beside your bed?

Well, New York outfit Peel Dream Magazine embarked on an intimidating creative pull. Their rightly lauded album ‘Agitprop Alterna’ was a significant statement, a sign that their dreamy, effects-laden guitar pop contained some unexpected depths, as well as a commitment to emotional rigour.

Mere weeks later, however, Peel Dream Magazine dropped a surprise – an eight track EP that drew upon those same sessions, acting as a kind of parallel statement to ‘Agitprop Alterna’.

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Taken as a whole, that’s more than 20 songs, a universe that moves from neat Neu!-esque cosmiche moments through to My Bloody Valentine leaning pedal stompers. Something to adore.

Joe Stevens – Vocals, Guitars, Organ, Synth, Drones, Drum Machine
Jo-Anne Hyun – Vocals
Brian Alvarez – Drums on Pill, Escalator Ism, Too Dumb, Do It, and Eyeballs
Kelly Winrich – Drums on Emotional Devotion Creator, Brief Inner Mission, NYC Illuminati, and Up and Up

All songs written by Peel Dream Magazine
Mixed by Peel Dream Magazine and Kelly Winrich

Released April 3rd, 2020

PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE – ” Moral Panics “

Posted: July 5, 2020 in MUSIC
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We loved New Yorkers Peel Dream Magazine’s recent release Agitprop Alterna, an excellent album that draws from a wide set of post-punk, shoegaze and indie pop influences but still has an assured, unique sound. Now they’re following up with “Moral Panics”, a companion EP that features unreleased songs from the Agitprop Alterna sessions.

The six tracks are, without exception, all top-notch tracks that stand strong on their own, and make an excellent companion to the album.

Brooklyn’s finest Stereolab/My Bloody Valentine hybridizers surprise release a new EP, Surprise! New EP out today via Slumberland Records and Tough Love Records – limited edition lathe cut vinyl via Tough Love from was made available over night but it has sold out. Peel Dream Magazine released the terrific Agitprop Alterna earlier this year and have now released, for Bandcamp Friday, this EP of songs that didn’t quite fit the record. I definitely wouldn’t call these throwaways, and some are new territory of the band. “Verfremdungseffekt” is low-key folk with a krautrock engine, and “Dialectrics” is one of their warmest pop melodies yet, drenched in chugging guitar, drony organ and a lead line right out of the JAMC recipe book. They’re still pulling from Stereolab (“Life at the Movies”) and My Bloody Valentine (“New Culture”), but making it their own.

This is a companion EP that features unreleased songs from the “Agitprop Alterna” sessions. Far from being outtakes, these are all songs that stand strong on their own, and gathered together function as a useful corollary to the album.

The EP’s title comes from Stanley Cohen’s “Folk Devils and Moral Panics,” a pivotal study of the media treatment of the mod movement and the poltical, societal and cultural faultlines that the media panic embodied — it’s a reference that’s quite revealing about some of the ideas behind Peel Dream.

Peel Dream Magazine, the shoegaze and indie-pop project of NYC musician Joe Stevens, released their sophomore album Agitprop Alterna earlier this year, and it showcased a floaty, pensive style of pop. Their new EP Moral Panics isn’t so much a departure from that sound as it is a reaffirmation that they’re one of the best at what they do. Between transportive serenity (“Live at the Movies,” “The Furthest Nearby Place”) and fuzzy potency (“New Culture”), Peel Dream Magazine are masters of stylish, profound songcraft.

Peel Dream Magazine – Moral Panics EP

PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE – ” Agitprop Alterna ” Best Albums Of 2020

Posted: July 4, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Peel Dream Magazine is the musical vehicle for NYC’s Joe Stevens, who launched the band in 2018 with the critically acclaimed debut album “Modern Meta Physic,” a mysterious, liminal tribute to the hazy end of ‘90s dream-pop that found its place on numerous “Best of 2018” lists. Now Peel Dream Magazine are back with “Agitprop Alterna,” an album that pays homage to sonic and spiritual influences ranging from early Stereolab and Broadcast through stateside groups like Lilys and Yo La Tengo.. “Agitprop Alterna” finds Stevens channeling the collaborative spirit of the band’s live incarnation in the studio, deepening the connection between the existential and the interpretive first explored on “Modern Meta Physic.” It is a rejection of manipulation in all its forms and a buzz-saw against complacency; it’s a rare trick to agitate without being obvious, and perhaps that makes “Agitprop Alterna” the most Peel Dream Magazine-like statement yet.

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A best of 2020! An Amazing blend of My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, and Broadcast influences strewn across a collection of songs full of beautiful harmonies, organ loops, and distorted shoegazy chords. A wonderous effort from Peel Dream Magazine.From the first guttural guitar haze of “Pill,” you think you know what you’re getting. There have been lots of bands with that one perfect song capturing the bygone heyday of dream-pop and shoegaze. But across Peel Dream Magazine’s sophomore outing, the hits keep coming and the reference points keep collapsing in on each other. “Emotional Devotion Creator,” “Do It,” “Too Dumb” — each song finds the Peel Dream exploring different iterations of psychedelic music and blurring the boundaries between them. The hooks, history, and philosophy all become detritus swirling together into a kaleidoscopic reinterpretation you can’t look away from.

released April 3rd 2020

Joe Stevens – Vocals, Guitars, Organ, Synth, Drones, Drum Machine
Jo-Anne Hyun – Vocals
Brian Alvarez – Drums on Pill, Escalator Ism, Too Dumb, Do It, and Eyeballs
Kelly Winrich – Drums on Emotional Devotion Creator, Brief Inner Mission, NYC Illuminati, and Up and Up

All songs written by Peel Dream Magazine

PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE – ” Emotional Devotion Creator “

Posted: February 27, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Brooklyn baroque shoegazers Peel Dream Magazine have shared another track from their upcoming album Agitprop Alterna which is out April 3rd via Slumberland Records. “Emotional Devotion Creator” chugs along at a quick motorik pace with more than a little Stereolab in there. Frontman Joe Stevens says the song is about “personal liberties and manipulation,” explaining, “an ‘Emotional Devotion Creator’ is a marketer or brand that tries to get you to feel attached to a product in order to get you to buy it. The song is asking, ‘where do you draw the line?’ Does everything have to be something special? Am I supposed to buy my way through everything now?’”

Peel Dream Magazine is the musical vehicle for NYC’s Joe Stevens, who launched the band in 2018 with the critically acclaimed album “Modern Meta Physic,” a mysterious, liminal tribute to the hazy end of ‘90s dream-pop that found its place on numerous “Best of 2018” lists. Now Peel Dream are back with “Agitprop Alterna,” an album that pays homage to the fuzzy, mod-ish pop of acts like My Bloody Valentine and early Stereolab, but it’s also indebted to stateside bands like Yo La Tengo and Rocketship that were cut from a similar cloth. “Agitprop Alterna” finds Stevens channeling the collaborative spirit of the band’s live incarnation in the studio, deepening the connection between the existential and the interpretive first explored on “Modern Meta Physic.” It is a rejection of manipulation in all its forms and a buzzsaw against complacency; it’s a rare trick to agitate without being obvious, and perhaps that makes “Agitprop Alterna” the most Peel Dream Magazine-like statement yet.

Taken from Agitprop Alterna, out 4/3/20 via Slumberland Records.

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PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE – ” Agitprop Alterna “

Posted: February 16, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Image may contain: 4 people, people standing

Peel Dream Magazine, the project of musician Joe Stevens, combines off-center dream pop with classic shoegaze soundscapes. Both their 2018 debut album Modern Meta Physic and forthcoming LP Agitprop Alterna (out on April 3rd via Slumberland Records) exude a hypnotic quiet-loud dynamic, often aided by blurry synths and serene vocals. Mixing the glaring with the pacifying, Peel Dream Magazine are an exercise in dazzling, retro-meets-modern drone. The band’s 2020 follow-up Agitprop Alterna is much broader, thanks in part to the live members that appear here like vocalists Jo-Anne Hyun and Isabella Mingione and drummer Brian Alvarez, and also due to its emphasis on a more dynamic sound. It’s a caressing record with satisfying moments that are felt long after they pass—take for instance the innocent, fluttering keys that close “Brief Inner Mission,” which transition into the wonderfully filtered vocals and blown-out guitars of “NYC Illuminati.” Agitprop Alterna is a loungey, droning, space-age odyssey that might help even the most anxious among us escape for a bit.

It’s not without good reason that people have been likening Peel Dream Magazine to My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab and Yo La Tengo. Helmed by Joe Stevens, one of New York’s finest contemporary players, the outfit makes music that’s tender but savage, powerful but delicate and packed with beautiful discordance hiding its sumptuous melodies. ‘Agitprop Alterna’ is their second full-length release and it certainly adds fuel to the argument that people need to take this lot very seriously. In addition to the aforementioned, here it nods to Velvet Underground (notice the tripped out, opiate-hazed interludes throughout the album) and krautrock-leaning art pop. The record drones, drives, grooves and perplexes on its course, but most of all it unarguably impresses. Or at least that’s what we’ve got to say on the matter

Agitprop Alterna is out everywhere today Shout to everyone who made this possible, most importantly Slumberland Records and Tough Love Records